A Rustic Garden Blog

Making a fountain recycle water is easy and you can find inexpensive items to make the reservoir that holds the water. I went to my Dollor Store today and found a kiddy pool that was just $7. It is painted with blue fish but that can be camouflaged with some 6 ml. black plastic. Place stones or landscaping bricks around the out side edge.

For a more permanent long lasting reservoir use fish pond liners found at your Lowe’s or Home Depot.  Place cement blocks in a circle that are large enough to catch the overflowing water from the largest bowl. Be generous with the size of the reservoir. Imagine a strong wind blowing the falling water. You do not want the water to blow away or you will have add water more often. Your pump needs to be submersed at all times. Attach a hose that you can find at any hardware store to the pump then run it up through the fountain. I fill the space around the hose so the water does not fall back down the hose. Bathroom caulk with work for small holes but when you have a large hole you can find [again at the dollar store] a round rubber drain stopper in the household cleaning supply section.  Caulk it down and then make a hole just the size of the hose.

A cast iron fountain with the sound of running water is a wonderful way to enjoy your outdoor living space.

This is the best time of the year to enclose your property with yard fence. We carry it in 3 foot, 4 foot, and 5 foot tall panels. Each height has 3 gates designs  that coordinate. Also my son can build you a driveway gate to help you with larger openings.

Our fencing has stakes that push into the ground so spring and early summer work best for installation since the ground is softer. We do have several tips that will help make the job easier anytime of the year. We can help you plan your garden, lawn, pool, or anything you would like to enclose with your wrought iron fencing project.

Vintage garden decor is my flavor. Being an antique dealer for 25 years makes my taste lean to the rustic look. I am lucky to have lots of antique items that I can use with my new but old looking garden items. My favorite thing is to add an antique piece of marble as the top surface. The look is wonderful.

The Wrought Iron Table is always useful indoors or out in the patio. The garden bench is complete when accompanied with a side table for that fresh lemonade.

Back in the day before air conditioning homes were build with their doors and windows facing the direction of the winds. Ventilation was important during those long hot summer days.

The heavy cast iron door stop was a handy way to keep the air moving throughout. There are many different designs. Some were farm animals, flowers and  some even had a whimsical styling.

Many antique cast iron doorstops are out there to purchase but beware. 100’s of patterns have been copied so be careful not to pay an antique price for a reproduction.

The garden bench is probably the most desirable item in the wrought iron garden furniture line.  Most gardeners have one on the patio or in their landscape.

The bench can make a pleasing prop for a garden but this  piece of furniture is not just to look at. Garden benches can be placed near a fish pond or your fragrant flowers so when you are ready for a break your resting time will be enjoyed.

We have customers really liking these unique wrought iron dress forms. Use them to hang scarves or even jewelry. The largest size can display vintage clothing also.

It is so much fun to see people with insight decorating with our newest items. We work so hard to handle the unusual decor for the people with eclectic tastes.

I have two large cast iron garden urns on each side of the driveway at my home.  They have been in place for several years and the paint had started to fade.  Last weekend I finally got around to painting the urns with a new finish. 

My wife Mary and I live in a 1920’s era classic home and we also painted the house last fall.  With the porches and trim being a new coffee bean color, the garden planters look great with the same finish.  Like anything made of iron the cast iron urns will eventually fade and rust, but a fresh coat of paint every three or four years will keep your garden urns looking sharp.

As hard as we work on our garden it can be frustrating when deer find there way into them and eat the foliage, fruits and vegetables.  A garden fence can sometimes be an obtrusive eyesore.  Many people  enjoy rustic wrought iron garden fences that blend in with the surroundings and decor and don’t stick out like a sore thumb.

Most of the customers we speak to are not buying garden fencing just for the look it adds.  We get calls every week from people who are trying to solve the problem of deer in their garden.  When you can keep the deer out with a barrier that will fit in with your decor you really have found the ideal solution.

Having a Garden Decor business comes in handy when family members get married.  This garden wrought iron arch was used in my niece’s wedding along with our wrought iron planters overflowing with Dragon Wing Begonias and Mouse Ear plants. Sorry but you really can not see how wonderful the planting containers are.

You would be surprised at the amount of arbors that we sell for garden weddings.  I am  sure that the wrought iron arbors find a permanent home in the couples gardens adding a special memory along with the focal point that climbing flowers bring to their outdoor living space.

Sometimes it takes a picture in a national magazine to make a decorating trend . Primitive ladders are used in most all decors and they are  showing up in Country Living, Martha Stewart Living and many other popular publications.  Each week A Rustic Garden have interest from customers that want an antique wooden ladder from us. Some of the uses are to hang in a kitchen as a pot rack or use them to hang towels, quilts and linens. We have helped customers mount several ladders together to make book shelves. Hundreds of ladders have been sent to Pottery Barn for displaying  products in their retail stores.

With the variety of colors and sizes you can create wonderful primitive accents to fit your space and style. Hang your ladder horizontally and add family photos between the rungs to make a country look.